SaXish-Kootenai CoMty College
Bye-bye buffalo
1020 Ronan, HT 59864
PABLO, MONTANA 59855 ISSN: 0528-8592
The Tribal Council voted October 12 to put the Tribal buffalo herd up for sale by sealed bid Further details about the selling process weren't developed by our press deadline.
The motion to liquidate the herd was a follow-up action to a buffalo committee decision made September 23. Committee member Denny Dumont (Tribal Fish and Game chief) made a motion to auction the animals by sealed bid, after
(Continued on page 4)
NEWSPAPER OF THE SAUSH. PEND d'OREJLLE AND KOOTENAI TRIBES OF THE FLATHEAD INDIAN RESERVATION, WESTERN MONTANA
VOL. 11, NO. 11
MOON OF THE HALF SUMMER — HALF AUTUMN
OCT. 15, 1982
What went on at the quarterly . . .
Council says 'no' to corporation and liquor store
Art Barber - Tribal member, BIA employee (Washington state), and Council critic-at-large ~ this summer promised to fill the chambers with interested citizens at October's quarterly meeting. He said he'd present a plan that would all-but guarantee steady income to the Tribes in the future. Advance publicity included letters to the editors of local weekly papers, and one daily paper.
Come October 1, the Council chambers were filled (with about 100 people, by this reporter's nose count) and Barber did present his plan. He didn't, however, get the chance to prove its worth. Three councilmen refused even to read the proposal packet
Put simply, Barber's plan was to set up an independent Tribal corporation charged with implementation of "planned commercial and economic development of Tribal resources
Namen decision due any day
Richard Baenen, Washington, D.C., attorney for the Tribes, told the Council October 5 that news about the Namen case was expected within two weeks The US. Supreme Court is supposed to announce whether or not it will grant certiorari review of the nine-year-old Flathead Lake jurisdiction case
("Certiorari", says our trusty dictionary, is a legal word meaning "a writ to call up the records of an inferior court or remove a cause there depending, that it may be tried in a superior court")
The Supreme Court has decided to look at a separate circuit court decision regarding Indian water rights. See page two.
District meeting October 25
The councilmen from the Arlee, Dixon, and St Ignatius districts are co-sponsoring another district meeting.
It begins at 6:30 on the evening of October 25 (a Monday) in the Salish Indian Seniors center in Arlee. Dinner will be served. _
and properties". The main concept was to separate Tribal politics from Tribal business administration.
The Council bought the concept (see page three) but not the plan (see page eight).
Besides the corporation, Barber's plan included seven points:
• Set up an education fund to provide grants or low-interest loans. The fund would be supported by tax-deductable donations.
•All Tribal programs would work under separate plans of operation, designed to ensure equal treatment of all Tribal citizens.
• Streamline the government: "Do we need 10 councilmen, or could we get by with 5?" Streamlining Tribal operations could save 25 to 50 percent the first year, Barber asserts.
• Build a retirement community for Tribal members.
•A rule would be adopted that all future land acquisitions be based on a "proven method of the land paying for itself over a designated term".
•A plan would be developed whereby Tribal members could acquire fee property in trust "with the stipulation that the land will remain in perpetual Tribal ownership, with life estates" being granted
• Change enrollment rules to allow "full brothers and sisters" to be in the book with their enrolled siblings. Also, a second class of Tribal members would include descendants of people on the regular rolls. This other class would have all rights except the right to a per capita, to hold government office, or vote in Tribal elections.
The 15-page proposal (two sections) was debated for three hours before councilman Jim Steele made a motion to form a committee that would look into the idea of separation of powers.
Concerns leading to the proposal's defeat included Barber's involvement with the Tribal bowling alleys (Barber helped get grant money to build them, but the Council decided where to put them, Barber said, and it was that decision that led to their lack of success) and Barber's request to be hired to oversee
(Continued on page 2)